1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments and, more particularly, to surgical camera assemblies and systems that facilitate visualization of an internal surgical site.
2. Background of Related Art
Endoscopic surgical procedures are minimally-invasive procedures in which operations are carried out within the body by using elongated instrumentation inserted through small entrance openings in the body. Minimally-invasive procedures are desirable in that they allow for quicker recovery time and shorter hospital stays as compared to open surgical procedures. Minimally-invasive procedures also leave minimal scarring (both internally and externally) and reduce patient discomfort during the recovery period. However, because the interior dimensions of the entrance openings into the body are necessarily small, only elongated, small diametered instrumentation may be used to access the internal surgical site.
During a typical minimally-invasive surgical procedure, one or more surgical cameras and/or illumination sources, e.g., one or more endoscopes, are inserted through an access portal disposed within an opening in the body and into the internal surgical site to permit the user to visualize the internal surgical site. The surgical instrumentation used to carry out the procedure to be performed is likewise inserted through the access portal and into the internal surgical site. However, in some instances, it is desirable to space-apart the surgical camera(s) from one another, the surgical instrumentation used to perform the procedure, and/or the illumination source(s), thus necessitating the use of two or more access openings. Further, where panoramic, three-dimensional, multi-angle, or multi-camera visualization of the internal surgical site is desired, multiple surgical cameras and illumination sources are inserted into the internal surgical site through the same or additional access portals. Those inserted through the same access portal take up valuable space within the access portal, necessitating a greater amount of insertion/removal/replacement of instrumentation during the procedure, while multiple access openings are required to accommodate the separate or spaced-apart insertion of the surgical cameras and illumination sources.